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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Granola

I never realized how much better homemade
granola is than anything you can buy in a store! This "Granola" recipe
(page 521) is one I have made repeatedly, and consider it one of the shining
stars of this book. Surprisingly (and happily!) the recipe as written contains
no added oils, which is somewhat hard to come by in store bought varieties. The
base ingredients are oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, maple
syrup, cinnamon, and allspice. But this is just a start, as there are endless
variations to try. Any rolled whole grain could fill in for the oats; walnuts
or pecans can sub for the almonds; leave out the coconut if you're not a fan;
used other dried fruits instead of raisins. No matter the combination, the end
result is sure to please. I found I had to make a couple of adjustments to the
instructions to make it work for me. First of all, I don't have a pan (nor an
oven) big enough to accommodate the full recipe (which starts with 5 ½ cups of
oats), so I always cut the recipe in half. I also found that 300 degrees isn't
hot enough in my oven, so I have been roasting the granola closer to 325-350
degrees. I also found that the suggested roasting time (10 minutes initially
with part of the ingredients, then another 15 with everything in the pan) isn't
long enough to yield a crisp and dry granola. I've been adding another full 30
minutes, taking the pan out of the oven every 15 minutes and stirring, to get a
crispy, golden and dry end product. One other hint: If you want to keep the
dried fruit soft and chewy, add it after the granola comes out of the oven for
the last time.